


I wish I could hate you.

by WolfetteTheDemon



Series: Soft Klance. [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura & Lance (Voltron) are Siblings, Altean Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Courting Rituals, Galra Keith (Voltron), Keith and Lotor are adoptive siblings, M/M, Space Politics, edited tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-05-05 01:16:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14605992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfetteTheDemon/pseuds/WolfetteTheDemon
Summary: The kingdom of Altea is crumbling and Prince Lance is being forced to marry someone who he has heard nothing about.ORKeith and Lance are both princes who's parents get them engaged to each other.





	1. Betrothed.

**Author's Note:**

> SO I'M IN LIKE A TON OF PAIN RIGHT NOW BUT I REALLY LIKE ROYAL AUS SO HERE

"You cannot be serious!" Lance screamed across the throne room.

They were joking. They had to be! Lance stood his ground in front of his parents as they sat on their silver thrones. Silence had fallen over the throne room and his parents shifted in their seats uncomfortably. There was no way they had offered Lance's hand as a  _peace offering_. After Allura's 'disappearance' the entire kingdom had agreed that they would not force a marriage upon any of the Children of Alfor.

"I'm afraid it is," His father sighed. "Desperate times have fallen upon us. Our lands are barren, our people are few. The kingdom of the Galra have offered aid in trade for the hand of our eldest, which, at the moment, happens to be you,"

"I am not your eldest, Allura is!"

"Allura abandoned us!" His father snapped. He then realized what he had said and sunk back into his seat. Lance's mother then decided to join the conversation.

"If we had a choice-"

"You do have a choice."

"We wouldn't be forcing you do to this. But the Galra kingdom have offered us more than we could ever ask for. Not only that but they have said they will provide you with a life of luxury compared to no other."

Lance huffed, crossing his arms. He already lived a life of luxury! He lived with his family! That's all he wanted! But then again... He also did want the best for his people. But that gave his parents no right to trade Lance for the kingdom without consulting him first! His family had mentioned the Galra kingdom which was the very same kingdom of which Allura had been promised to. Does that mean...?

"I assume I am betrothed to Prince Lotor then?" Lance assumed. He had met Lotor during the brief visits he gave to Allura. Lance will admit, he found the Prince quite charming but not someone he himself would be attracted to. He was far too dominating.

"I'm afraid Prince Lotor went missing around the same time that Allura did," His mother informed. Wait, then who the hell is he betrothed to? Emperor Zarkon had no other children did he? "You shall marry Prince Keith, Lord of Shanakra,"

Lance's eyes widened. He had never heard of this 'Keith' but he had heard many stories of the Lord of Shanakra. Shanakra was a small colony, West of the home planet of the Galra. It had the worst economic states of any of the Galran colonies. The Lord had managed to take them from poverty to prosperity in a matter of  _months_. Yet, none of the Shanakrian people were able to thank him as no one had ever seen his face. That means Lance is probably being forced to marry some super old guy who just wanted a piece of arm candy. Just the thought of being something like that made Lance shiver.

"Alright then. When do I meet my betrothed?"

"We will send you on a ship tomorrow," What? So soon? "We should have told you sooner."

He sniffed, attempting to hold back a tear.  _Royals do not cry, your highness_. He had so leave his family so soon? The thought made him feel sick.

"O-okay. I shall spend my last day with my siblings. After all, I am unsure of when I may see then again," Lance huffed. He was mildly furious with his parents at the moment. Is this how Allura had felt? Is this why she had ran away? Lance was starting to consider the possibility as well. But he knew he couldn't.

He had to do it, for the kingdom.

* * *

 

"No,"

"Prince Keith-"

"I said I am not going to marry a man whom I have never met!" Keith protested. Shiro looked at him sadly.

"I know the situation is not ideal but you must take all factors into account! The kingdom of Altea is crumbling and if you are to wed one of their children we could help them without any diplomatic issues! And must I mention that you are getting to an age where it is borderline  _dangerous_ for you to not have a mate?" Shiro followed the Galra teenager as he stormed down the halls.

"You don't have a mate," 

"I am not a Galra,"

"And neither am I!" Keith exclaimed, turning around to face Shiro. "I am not a Galra, I am not one of Zarkon's children, and I am not marrying a man I know nothing about."

"And you won't have to, Prince Lance shall be staying here for a few weeks so that you may court and marry him," Shiro explained. Keith crossed his arms and looked to the side. Something was up about this. Something wasn't right.

"Did Prince Lance consent to this marriage?" Keith asked, assuming that the Prince, like him, had no idea of his agreement until it was made.

As Shiro fumbled for words, Keith simply clenched his fists and stormed off to his room once more. If this other Prince hadn't consented to the marriage then why should he?! Keith was not about to be auctioned off like some antique painting for some rich asses to give to an ungrateful son.

Gods, why couldn't Lotor have done something useful for once and not run away with the Princess and his boyfriend, that would've been fucking great. He just couldn't take the responsibility could he!? He couldn't stand up to his own father and say that he was in love with someone else! Keith was surprised when Lotor had ran away, he was shocked to find out it was with the Princess Allura, he wasn't all that surprised when he knew Rolo was tagging along.

Keith entered his chambers to find a letter placed neatly upon his black silk sheets. As soon as he saw the purple ink he knew that it was from Lotor. What he was unsure of was how exactly he was even getting these letters into the castle? Keith picked up the letter and started to read each word carefully.

_Dear Keith,_

_I am aware of your current situation as it was announced to the kingdom a short while ago._

_As I know you, I know that you would have not agreed to such a thing and so I invite you to join Allura, Rolo and I on our journey across the galaxy. Our father can be cruel sometimes but I want you to know that you are always welcome to join us._

_We will be back in the kingdom in two weeks time. If you decided to join us come to Finnegan's Pub by the docks on Sunday evening. If not, then I wish you and your future significant other the best wishes._

_Sincerely,_

_Lotor_.

Keith sighed as he put the letter aside on his desk. He would love to join Lotor and live a stress-free life. But he had to take care of his colony. It was the only thing he cared about.

And if he had to marry a stranger to keep it? Well then so be it.


	2. The Stranger.

Lance's last day at home was peaceful. He managed to spend time with his siblings of which he may never see again once he is married to a stranger. He helped Veronica with her botanical studies (despite him not understanding the first thing about plants), and he played the twins, Marco and Luis, almost until it was their bedtime. He also managed to sing to them all night, an ancient Altean lullaby only known to the royal family themselves.

Then came along the dreaded day. All of Lance's belongings were shoved into crates and packed away onto a ship which he would travel on to his demise. Lance wondered what the great Lord of Shanakra would be like. Would he be kind and caring enough that he didn't see a poverty-ridden planet as a burden to society and decided to help? Or would he be fearsome and powerful; just using Shanakra as an example of his leadership skills? Would he care for Lance and treat him as you would treat a flower? Or would he treat him as nothing more than a decorative gem to make himself look better in the eyes of the public?

Would he even care that he was betrothed?

For all Lance knows this man is the one who made the deal with his parents in the first place!

His journey was long, it had given him just enough time to attempt to reason with himself that this marriage, although strictly political, may cause much more good than it intends to. First of all it would give his kingdom the resources the need to get back on its feet, it would also provide them with a much needed ally. But that didn't make Lance any happier. What if his betrothed turned out to be a tyrant?

Lance knew they were at their destination when everything on the ship suddenly jolted to the side, himself included. He waited a few moments for his quarter's doors to be opened from the outside (yes they had locked him in there so he couldn't hide). The doors opened with a mechanical whirring sound, only to reveal a large, muscular, very non-Galra looking man. Although he did wear the Galran knight uniform.

"Greetings Prince Lance of Altea, I am Takashi Shirogane the personal Royal Advisor of Prince Keith. I have been asked to escort you to the castle," The man spoke in a polite tone. Personal Royal Advisor? Was that a thing? Lance walked up to the man and gestured for him to lead the way. He wasn't in the mood for talking, unlike usual. The large man then turned on his heel and lead Lance out of the ship.

Before Lance even took his first step outside, he was already taken away by the beauty of the city he had landed in. It wasn't the same kind of beauty that Altea held, far from it actually. The buildings in Altea could be described as rustic, natural, environmentally friendly. Here? Some buildings reached up to the sky - Some buildings reached past the sky! Vibrant colours lit up the streets that were packed with Galras. The streets were alive with motion and colour. Blues, reds, greens, and yellows.

He was lead through the streets with only a few glances directed his way. To be honest most of them were from children who were excited to see a real-life Prince. Huh, this Prince Keith didn't pay visits to his own people? How shameful. He made sure to give a small wave to each person that looks his direction. He was a sucker for attention, after all.

Lance was suddenly brought through a large set of gates which completely separated this area from the city. He was suddenly in an extravagant garden lined with hundreds of types of flowers, plants and bushes. Didn't Veronica say something about the yellow petals on the black bushes? And the red vines that encased the blue flowers? He was so entranced by the plant life that he hadn't noticed when he was being lead up the steps into the large, purple castle.

He only realized where he was when he heard a loud sigh come from his guide to the castle. Lance watched his shoulders drop as he talked to a guard. His guide then turned to face him.

"I'm afraid Prince Keith is caught up in a diplomatic meeting and shall not have any free time until the ball. In the meantime I shall escort you to your room to prepare you for tonights event," Takashi said, slowly walking through the now open entrance to the castle. Lance quickly jogged to walk side-by-side with him.

"A ball? What for?" Lance asked. There was no mention of a ball was there? Oh heavens when was the last time Lance had even attended a ball?

Takashi face a short chuckle. "To celebrate your arrival of course."

That was... Polite, he guesses. Was his betrothed actually looking forward to Lance's arrival in his kingdom?

Well then, this whole situation is about to get awkward real fast.

 

 

* * *

The ball came sooner than Lance had hoped. It felt like he had only spent an hour preparing to leave his room. But to be fair, he didn't want to keep anyone waiting when he looked  _this good_. Apparently they already picked out his formal wear for this event. It was a long robe that reached the floor and left a small trail behind him. It was made of (very obviously) expensive fabrics but also made up of the national Altean colours. Blue, pink and white. There was also a short translucent blue cape that travelled from his shoulders to his lower back. Lord he looked good.

Once Lance had left his room, Takashi was standing outside waiting to escort him to the ballroom. But before he did he handed Lance a small, blue plastic object that was lined with silver glitter.

"A mask?" Lance questioned, holding the object up to his face. Yup, that was definitely a mask.

"Indeed. Masquerade balls are a common occurrence in Galra culture," Takashi explained helpfully.

"But, why?"

"Beats me," He shrugged. "Just put it on so I can take you down there."

Wow, someone was in a sour mood. Lance reluctantly put the mask on and started to follow Takashi once he started walking.

Lance will admit, despite the whole gothic vibe, this castle was actually a really nice place. There were large open windows of which he could look out to all the different sections of the garden. Wait was that a pool? Lance made a mental note to check that out sometime.

Suddenly, Lance was met with a large set of doors in front of him. Intricate golden swirls on a plain purple base. Takashi stood behind him. The pressure of his presence only added to his newfound discomfort. With a deep breath, Lance placed both his hands on each door, and gave them a gentle push.

The ball room was quite a contrast to the rest of the castle. The castle was dark and gloomy, but this was a plethora of bright colours. Plenty of Galran people all wearing their outfits with pride and their masks with confidence. Lance must have stuck out like a sore thumb in his practically pastel colours. Somehow people didn't seem to notice however, or care.

"I shall find the Prince," Takashi said before suddenly making his way through the crowd with purpose, leaving Lance stood their like a fish out of water.

He wandered the outskirts of the dance floor, wanting to socialize but unable to. Everyone was stood with someone meaning that suddenly engaging a conversation would be seen as rude. As Lance watched the people dance along to the string orchestra he noticed a few Alteans in the crowd. Probably ones that had fled from Altea in search of a better life. Honestly, Lance couldn't blame them.

"Are you waiting for someone?" A male voice asked. Lance suddenly turned to face the stranger to be met with a man in a deep purple suit and a purple and gold mask who looked very... Not Galran? He was small, almost scrawny, and had very pale skin which contrasted beautifully against his inky black hai- is that a mullet?

"Oh, no, no. I was kinda dragged here against my will," He answered honestly. He was dragged to this planet against his will.

"I feel you. I hate events like these,"

"Now I never said I hate them,"

"Mmm, but you hate this one, that much is clear," The stranger pointed out. Lance couldn't really disagree with that.

Lance and the stranger stood and talked for awhile, seeing as they both apparently had no one else to talk to. But somehow Lance felt himself connecting with the stranger. The kind of connection you get when you're stranded alone with another person and don't want to be awkward. He suddenly noticed a shift in the music that was playing and looked back from the dance floor to the stranger.

"Would you like to dance?" Lance offered, extending his hand towards the other man. The stranger smiled and gave an amused chuckle to himself.

"I would be honoured to," He said, placing his hand in Lance's.

This night, would become a night to remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna add more scenes to this chapter, then I decided 'fuck it' and I'm gonna put those scenes in the next chapter okay goodnight y'all.


	3. The Prince.

_His body was electric. The shivers Lance got from a single touch were unlike anything he had ever felt. The stranger's lips moved against his own, their bodies slid_ _together as Lance was trapped between the man and the wall. They didn't want to remove their masks, to spoil the secrecy. But Lance's had slipped off and fell to the floor. The stranger pulled back to look at him._

_"Dear lord, you're beautiful,"_

_Lance had never been more glad that the room was dark. Instead of dwelling on what the other man had said and becoming a stumbling mess, he gripped the stranger's hair and pulled his face closer to his own. His hands tangled in the other man's hair, twisting and pulling. He teased him for a moment, letting their lips brush before actually kissing him again._

_It was his last night of freedom._

Lance jolted up in his bed at the memory appearing to him as a dream. He had spent the entire night thinking about that stranger, and how he wasn't ready to let him go yet. The stranger made him feel free; as if he wasn't going to be married in just a few weeks to a man whom he had never met.

"Prince Lance," Takashi said, slamming the door open to Lance's room.

"Fucking- May you please knock next time?" Lance asked, mildly frustrated at the intrusion.

"I apologize, but Prince Keith is downstairs waiting to meet you," Takashi announces. "They have sent me to prepare you for your first meeting,"

Lance scoffs lightly, lifting himself out of the bed. "Is this really the job of a personal Royal Advisor? To prepare me for dates?" He opens his closet that was filled by Galran servants while he was at the ball.  _They aren't even arranged correctly..._

Takashi seemed to laugh quietly at that. "That is just a title. I prefer to think of my self as the right hand man of the Prince,"

"Well that would make more sense," Lance mumbled, pulling out an Altean suit from his closet. It was mostly blue and white with hints of pink within the design. It was one of his more simple outfits.

"That would impress the Prince-"

"I'm not  _trying_ to impress the Prince," Lance almost growled. "I'm wearing this because _I_ like it. If you have an issue with that you can take it up with my ass."

Takashi blinked for a few moments, not expecting the harsh words from the Altean Prince's mouth. Lance sighed once he realized what he had said.

"I'm sorry. It's just that coming here has made me feel pressured as I am to marry a man who I am only now about to meet for the first time. It was not my choice if I wanted to come here."

Takashi looked at the boy in pity. "I won't pretend to understand how you feel. But I can reassure you that Prince Keith is a good man. He is like a younger brother to me. He shall treat you with the utmost respect and loyalty."

Lance looked down at the suit in his hands. "May you please leave? I would like to get changed now," He said, his tone flat.

Takashi seemed reluctant to leave, but did anyway. Lance took a deep breath to collect himself. He hadn't meant to be so harsh in those moments. But his frustration with the whole situation left him no choice but to be sour. He quickly got changed into the suit, which almost clung to him like a second skin. The dark shades of blue matching his eyes and complementing his skin.

Well, time to meet the Prince.

* * *

 

Lance stood waiting for the Prince in one of the castle's common rooms. He sat waiting on a couch for Takashi to return with the Prince. He stared into the fireplace which for some reason had candles in side instead of wooden logs. It might actually explain the weird cinnamon smell in the air.

The doors swung open; Lance rushed to the centre of the room to watch as guards poured in to line the room.  _Seriously? They can't trust me?_ Takashi came in after a few guards and stood with them. Then finally, behind them all was who Lance assumed to be the Prince.

His skin was pale and unlike a true Galra (they normally had fur whereas he seemed to be practically hairless). He had inky black hair that was neatly pulled up into a pony tail which honestly looked so fluffy that Lance wanted to run his hand through it. Interestingly, his eyes seemed to be violet which was an uncommon eye colour even for a Galra. And finally his outfit seemed to fit him like a glove. A canvas of dark black with lines of purple similar to that of Galran armour. Lance has to admit, the man was quite handsome.

When the Prince laid his eyes on him, they widened dramatically as if he couldn't believe what he had just saw. If a man could lose his composure standing still, then that was exactly what Prince Keith had done.

The next few moments seemed to happen quickly. The Prince had regained his composure and strode over to Lance elegantly. He stopped when they were literally inches away. He grabbed Lance's hand and fell down onto one knee, placing the hand against his lips. An audible gasp passed through everyone in the room, as if the Prince had done something he shouldn't have.

The kiss to his knuckles seemed to last longer than one normally does, but finally the other man had pulled his lips away and looked up to stare at Lance's face.

"I must say that you are one of the most gorgeous men I have ever met, I feel honoured to have even met you," The Prince said, slowly rising from the floor to be face to face with Lance. "Much less be engaged to you."

Lance stumbled over his words for the next few seconds, most likely looking like a gaping fish. He had never received such a compliment before. Before Lance could even try to speak the Prince brought a finger over his lips.

"I request that you join me for breakfast. The cooks have attempted at making an Altean delicacy, of which I do not dare pronounce as to not butcher your beautiful language, to make you feel more at home. What do you say?"

Lance just stared at the Prince for a few moments before agreeing. He watched a smile grace the other Prince's lips as he slowly started to guide Lance by hand to the dining room. Had they been holding hands this whole time? Lance could feel his face heat up at the realization. As he was being dragged through the castle by an over excited Prince, he felt one thought come to mind.

_I am not going to fall._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus Scene!:  
> *During the whole hand-kiss thing*
> 
> Shiro, crying actual tears with his fist over his heart: So smooth...


	4. Charming.

The palace gardens were absolutely divine. So many colours that Lance had never even seen before were arranged in a way that made the entire place utterly alluring. Lance would love to spend the entire day out here, surrounded by the various scents and shades. The pastel violet next to the deep blues, the vibrant yellows next to the warm reds

"You seem distracted," Prince Keith observed. Lance forced himself to look at the man to see his mildly concerned face. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yeah it's just-" He paused, looking back over the gardens, the colours seeming to invite a sense of calm to wash over him. "Your gardens are so gorgeous that I can't seem to take my eyes off of them,"

The Prince let out an amused huff. "I understand the feeling. When you find someone so exquisite that you are unable to tear your eyes away from the pure beauty before you."

They walked in silence after that, Lance was unsure of what to say to that. What did he mean when he said 'someone'? Was the Prince already in love with someone else? If so then thank the Gods! That would give them an excuse to not go through with the marriage! It would go against Galran law. A political marriage is not considered valid if one of the wedded is involved romantically/sexually with another. Now, Lance just needs solid evidence.

"May I assume that, like me, you did not consent to this?" He asked. The Prince looked at him before looking down.

"I did not. No," Yes! Now to just- "But if I was aware that my betrothed was as gorgeous and lovely as you are, I would have proposed myself the moment I met you."

Lance blinked for a few seconds, feeling a hint of warmth creep up onto his face. "Pardon?"

"You heard me," Prince Keith seemed to smirk slightly, suddenly walking in front of Lance. He was then rushing to catch up with the other male.

"That seems pretty impulsive to me," Lance pointed out. _A Prince should not be so reckless in his decision making as it may affect their kingdom badly and cause harm._ Or so he had been told many times.

"You'll learn that I'm a pretty impulsive man."

Fuck that smirk.

* * *

 

Lance was being lead throughout the halls of the castle by hand. The Prince seemed excited to show Lance the palace which- okay he could kinda get it, but the Prince was acting like a kid showing off a cool rock. Not that Lance was comparing the castle to a rock! The castle was quite... Magnificent. Of course it wasn't as lively as his home castle back in Altea, but it had it's own charms.

Gold decals ran along the purple walls, a wave of vibrancy gliding against the deep colour. Flecks of red surrounding the golden river seemed to get more scarce as they moved further away from it. Strangely, there were no sources of light in the hallways, only the windows and the golden line which seemed to run across the entirety of the castle. It was strange. Shouldn't a castle have chandeliers? Torches? Something to make it seem more regal? How did the lines even work? They didn't seem like lights.

"You're wondering about the strip, aren't you?" Prince Keith asked, seemingly reading Lance's mind. Creepy.

"What would give you that idea?" Lance denied, badly.

"You've been staring at them for the last fifteen minutes," The Prince pointed out. Lance almost sputtered and tried to deny his actions once more but stopped himself of making a fool out of himself.

"We didn't have anything like them back on Altea. We always had torches and candles to light up rooms,"

The Prince hummed. "We have a few candles. And we would have more of them but as a species the Galra have developed a sense of... Agitation towards fire."

"Wait." Lance stopped walking, the Prince looking back at him in confusion. He smiled for a second before talking. "Are you trying to tell me that all Galra are scared of fire?"

"Most of them."

"Are you scared of fire?" Lance asked, cocking his eyebrow. The Prince crossed his arms, letting go of Lance's hand (had he really still been holding it?)

"No."

"You totally are!" Giggles seemed to bubble out of Lance. The most sophisticated and regal Prince that Lance has ever met and he's afraid of a little fire.

"May we please not talk about it?"

The sincerity in his voice caused Lance to instantly stop laughing and look at the other man. The vulnerability in the boy's eyes made Lance feel guilt start to creep on his conscience. He did say that most Galra feared it... So was Lance just being a complete dick by making fun of most Galra's fear? After all it could be a weird genetic thing that's passed down from generation to generation. Or however science works. Is Galra biology completely different to Altean biology? Wasn't Lance just doing something? Oh right, the Prince!

"I'm sorry-"

"Keith," Takashi suddenly appeared, rushing down the hallway. Lance groaned at the sudden appearance. Then again now he doesn't have to apologize! And this time he has deniability! 

"What is it Shiro?" He asked, mildly annoyed. Shiro? Was that what Takashi was referred to as? Would it be okay for Lance to call him that? Then again Shiro had said that Keith was like a younger brother to him.

"Shanakra has sent in a distress signal-" The Prince instantly looked panicked.

"Then what are you waiting for? Has a ship been prepared?"

"No not-"

"Then prepare one!" He stormed off in the same direction Shiro had come from. The other men were left blinking in the hallway until Shiro signalled for Lance to come along. Should he really be coming to Shanakra in a time of distress? Was that appropriate? Especially when the Prince seemed so immensely panicked?

Was everything okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't quite sure how to end this but here.  
> Also! Updates for this fix may (don't hold me to this) start to get more frequent since now I'm not panicking to finish another certain fit... heh.
> 
> <3


	5. Shanakra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyy my save file got corrupted so I wrote this with gritted teeth! :D

 The journey to Shanakra was silent. Tension loomed over them, both of them unaware of what was happening.

Keith was worried. He had come back from Shanakra not less than a week ago! Everything had been alright hadn't it? What if something had happened to- No. No way. It was probably just a small issue that may take less than a day to fix. Maybe an epidemic had broken out? No, they wouldn't risk Keith catching a serious illness. Maybe something had happened to the orp-

Suddenly, the ship harshly jolted to the side, sending both the Princes flying across the room. Before Keith even had the chance of feel the pain that would sting his back he was already running to the doors. Shiro had tried to enter the room but Keith pushed right past him.

"Keith! Get back here!"

He completely ignored Shiro as he got to the last set of doors. Were his people okay? They had to be okay. What if they weren't okay? What if Keith hadn't saved them in time? What if-

He stepped out of the doors to see Shanakra... Completely normal. The grass was a lively red and the sky was the same beautiful brown it had always been. Tress and plants were growing, homes were stable. There was nothing wrong. Except for the people staring at him, of course. The Shanakrian people all stared at him with their large, beady eyes.

"Lord Keith is here!" One of them shouted. The people then seemed to break out in smiles and crowd around Keith. This caused him to have to hold his hands out to stop them.

"Who sent the distress signal?" He asked. The crowd seemed to be confused for a matter of moments, silence falling upon them. That was, until a very familiar voice spoke above the crowd.

"Keith Akira Kogane!"

Oh shit.

The large purple figure pushed past the crowd of Shanakrian's to place herself right infant of Keith. He always hated how she was two feet taller than him. She placed her hands on her hips, trying to stand more authoritatively; it worked.

"You go home for a few days and suddenly you're engaged? Why didn't you tell me of this? Who are you engaged to? Are you treating them right?" Krolia asked, her questions come at him a mile a minute. Keith noticed out of the corner of his eye that Prince Lance was walking out of the spaceship only to stare at the crowd.

"Listen, I would've told you sooner had I known sooner. The engagement was a surprise to me as well."

"So it's an arranged marriage?"

"Indeed." Krolia suddenly flicked him lightly on the nose.

"Stop using that formal tone with me! I am your mother!"

"Mother?" Prince Lance suddenly asked aloud. The Shanakrian's moved to clear a path between him and Keith. Prince Lance looked between the two before his eyes settled on Keith. "I thought you were Zarkon's child?"

Well, time for some tragic backstory.

* * *

 

Krolia had led both the Princes back to her place. It was a small cottage out of the way of the town but still fairly close. She had sat them both down at a dinner table. Did Keith really had to listen to this? It was  _his_ life story! He should be asking about the distress signal!

"When I was younger, I found myself involved with an organization called the Blade of Marmora. They sought out to overthrow the Galran Kingdom no matter the cost. We travelled for awhile to gather allies from all around the universe. One day my team found ourselves on a planet called Earth. The people there called themselves 'Humans' and I quickly found myself fascinated by them. There was one, however, who called himself 'Texas', though I doubt that was his real name, who found himself taken away with me. He promised to protect my team because if other humans had found us they would apparently experiment on us. The Blade wouldn't be able to pick us up for a few more weeks so we agreed to stay.

Over the few weeks, I had grown much closer to Texas. I found myself no longer fascinated but rather... Attached. He was unimpressive, but did his best to impress me. The night before the Blade had come to get us, we had gotten quite... intimate,"

"Mom,"

"Right, sorry. But anyways, a few days later, I found myself sick and fatigued. It took me a few weeks to discover that I was bearing a child. I knew I would be unfit to raise a half-breed child with a life like mine. I begged the Blade to take me back to Earth but they refused. So I only had one option left. I turned to an old friend, Honevra, she agreed to take Keith in as she was also raising a half-breed son of her own."

"Lotor is a half-breed?" Lance stopped her story for a moment, utterly confused.

"Half Galra, Half Altean,"

"That's irrelevant. Mom, do you know who sent out the distress signal?" Keith asked, bored as all hell. He had heard that story at  _least_ eighteen times!

Krolia seemed to blink at him for a few moments as if she had no clue what he was saying.

"Oh! I sent it out."

"Why?"

She looked out the window she was sat next to, as if seeing if they were being watched, before turning back to face them.

"There's been,  _visitors_ , wandering about and frankly I can't really trust them. They say they're runaways but I don't believe they are who they say they are."

Keith sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I thought Lords were only meant to visit their colonies in times of great distress?" Prince Lance asked. Gods, he asks so many questions but damn does he look gorgeous. Keith can't find it in himself to be annoyed.

"I'm his mother, who lives in his colony, and I am in distress! He didn't tell me he was engaged!" Krolia whined. Prince Lance seemed to chuckle at that. Dear Lord that laugh...

"Trust me, nobody told us either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so. I'm totally not planning on staying off of school when Season 6 comes out so I can watch it the very minute it comes out.  
> I'm totally not freaking out because my son is returning from the war and that the void in my son-in-law's heart is going to be filled by that (Jeremy's Panel tho).
> 
> If anyone wants to not freak out with me then talk to me on Tumblr:  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/wolfettethedemon
> 
> I'm lonely.


	6. The Real Story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was kinda meant to be at the end of the last chapter but... Y'all know I'm not that organized so please accept this chapter 5.5

Once the third sun had set on the village, Prince Lance had excused himself to retire to the bedroom back on the ship. Keith had told him that he would return to the ship later, but wished to speak with his mother first. Krolia had offered that both the boys stay at her place but Prince Lance had politely refused.

"Do you want me to escort you back to the ship?" Keith offered.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

And with that Prince Lance had left. Keith had wanted to stay by his side but decided to not bother him with his foolish wants. Instead, he decided to focus on something that intrigued him slightly that night. He found his mother sat at a table, a cup of tea between her hands. He sat across from her, ready to interrogate.

"That wasn't the full story you told him," Keith observed. Krolia looked at him blankly.

"No, it wasn't." She took a sip of her tea. "I didn't want to scare him."

"Scare him?"

Krolia sighed. "Galran customs are much different to that of an Altean's. Especially when talking about relationships."

Keith leaned forward in his seat. "What do you mean?"

"Altean's don't have 'mates', Keith. They have partners, but they don't have mates," Krolia attempted to explain, but it only left Keith more confused. She sighed once more. "When you first saw Lance, what did you think of him?"

Keith huffed. "What did I think? I thought he was stunning, breath-taking! And when he started talking I hung onto every word!" He smiled to himself, remembering the first time he met the Prince at the ball. He seemed to talk for  _hours_ ; for once Keith hadn't found himself annoyed with that.

Krolia smiled at him. "Alteans can feel like that many times, but Galra only feel like that once in their life," her smile turned more sad. "Don't let him go Keith. Don't be a fool."

It was only then when Krolia's words hit him.

"You didn't mention what really happened to dad." Keith knew what happened down to the very last detail. It was probably the reason why his nightmares were filled with orange and smoke.

He heard Krolia take a sharp intake of breath. "I couldn't bring myself to say it. I  _can't_ bring myself to say that he's-" She struggled for a moment, visibly shaking, before she brought her hand up to cover her mouth.

When a Galra loses a mate, it feels like they have lost a part of themselves. As if their soul is cut in half and they can feel it's absence. It's why Keith had chosen not to believe in mates for the better part of his life. To not believe that there was one person he would be compelled to share his life with for however long it may last. The idea seemed insane to him!

But now? Not so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter is short.
> 
> okAY BUT I'VE PRE-WRITTEN SOME OF THE LAST MOMENTS IN THIS FIC SO I WAS EXTRA-PREPARED TM BUT NOW I REALLY WANNA RUSH CHAPTERS AND I'M KINDA STILL STUCK IN THIS DILEMMA
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO SEASON SIX ON FRIDAY AND I'M FREAKING. OUT.


	7. The Orphanage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elizaaaaaaa.
> 
> Prepare yourself this chapter is shitty.

Lance never thought of himself as impulsive. He always thought out the consequences of his own actions and planned accordingly. Of course, there were always his moments of weakness, but everyone has a moment of weakness of something, right? Whether it be physical, mental, or emotional weakness, everyone has them. It was normal!

What was he talking about? Oh, right! Impulsiveness! Yes, at this very moment in time, the calm, collected, Prince Lance of Altea found himself storming out of a ship to find out where the fuck his fiancé was. Why? Because the guards had loaded Lance's clothes into the Prince's room and the Prince was the only one who had the key to his own room.

So here Lance was, the graceful, elegant Prince of Altea, storming through a village of unknown aliens, wrapped up in a sheet, furious at his fiancé that he had only met two days ago.

It was almost laughable.

Lance approached the small shack he had been led to yesterday, it was Krolia's (was that her name?) if he remembered correctly. For a small shack it was presented nicely. It was well-kept and homey. Small flowers were sprouting out from around the perimeter of the home and there was a brown picket fence running around the area. He found it a shame to barge into such a nice place.

He slammed the door open revealing the mother and son duo sat at a table, both turning to look at Lance with wide eyes.

"Where were you all night?" Lance asked, pointing directly at the Prince who only looked at him bewilderedly. "I figured you were running late so I just went to sleep but you weren't even there in the morning? What the hell?"

"I'll, um, excuse myself," Krolia nervously laughed before practically sprinting out the room. Strange. The Prince stood up abruptly.

"I'm sorry that I, er, left you waiting all this time!" The Prince quickly apologized, looking away from Lance, a blush dusting his cheeks. Good. "I had no idea that you wanted to do such... Things."

 _What?_  "You had no idea that I wanted to wear clothes?"

The Prince's eyes widened with a sudden realization. "Oh! Yes, clothes. I'll erm, go get them for you now," He said squeezing past Lance and making his way towards the ship.

What was his problem? All Lance had done was demand that he get his own clothes, by barging into his mother's home furious, and naked under a she- wait.

Oh.

 _Oh_.

* * *

 

After the morning fiasco, Lance had gotten his clothes back and slipped into something more... Un-sheet-like. Honestly. Lance had found himself mortified after he realized the situation that the Prince saw. He felt worse when he had to explain the real situation to Krolia and how he didn't want to sleep with her son.

("What do you mean you don't want to sleep with my son?"

"Wha-"

"Is it because he's short? Because he's so fucking short.")

After that, the Prince had taken Lance on a tour of Shanakra. The colony was truly beautiful. It was hard to believe that such a magnificent place could have ever been in poverty. The place was almost iridescent. The streets were alive with Shanakrians celebrating a holiday of their own. It was something to do with one of the Gods they believed in. The Prince said it would have been seen as strange of them to join in if they did not share the same religion as the Shanakrians. Lance still made sure to wish everyone he spoke to a happy Melkorniaka day or whatever the Prince had told him it was.

Lance was almost dragged through the streets by hand, pushing past the Shanakrians as they stared at him with their large, beady eyes.

"Where are you taking me?" The question had only now just occurred to Lance.

The Prince suddenly stopped. They were on the outskirts of the city now, looking out onto a large building. It was almost bigger than the castle back on Altea! The building had large fields filled with colourful objects that were hard to make out from such a large distance.

""Somewhere important to me." The Prince then grabbed Lance's hand tighter and started dragging him again. Damn his hands are warm.

When they had finally made it to the building, Lance had found that those colourful objects looked like children's toys. The Prince had opened the door to see a Shanakrian adult nursing a small Shanakrian baby. Had the Prince gone insane and barged into someone's house? Then again Lance can't say much.

"Lord Keith!" the Shanakrian gave a bow as best they could whilst holding a baby.

"Again, it's just Keith," he laughed.

"Keith!" A small voice shouted from another room. The Shanakrian shook her head, smiling.

"She'll be here in a minute," She informed them. She then turned to Lance. "And you are?"

Lance was taken aback by the fact that he was actually addressed. "Prince Lance of Altea." He gave a small bow.

"Elzaka," She introduced herself, smiling. She then turned to the Prince looking for an explanation.

"My fiancé," he explained. The Shanakrian opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a small child rushing to hug the Prince's legs.

"Keith! Keith!" The child cheered. The Prince carefully picked her up to hold her in his arms. What the fuck? The child turned to stare at Lance for a moment before pointing at his face. "Glow!" the child smiled.

Lance blinked for a few moments before realizing that she was talking about his cheek marks. Were they glowing? Uh oh was he blushing?

"Do you wanna hold her?" The Prince asked. Lance stood dumbfounded for a minute before nodding and taking ahold of the child.

Lance had held children before, after all he did have mostly younger siblings. But this child, was _so freaking adorable_. As soon as Lance had a secure hold of her she rested her head on his shoulder and proceeded to poke at his cheek marks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elzaka laughing gently at the little girl in his arms and he noticed the Prince with a fond look on his face.

"I should put Theomornia to bed now. It's her nap time," Elzaka said.

"Nooooo," Theomornia whined, clutching onto Lance's shirt as she yawned.  _What the fuck you adorable little angel_.

"How about we put her to bed? It's not like she's going to let go of him any time soon," The Prince offered. Elzaka wore a look of pure gratefulness.

"Bless you my Lord." She bowed her head before leaving.

* * *

 

Lance placed the Shanakrian angel in her bed only to find out that she had already fell asleep. Her room was lit by the mid-day suns, lighting up the mostly blue surroundings.

"Isn't she adorable?" The Prince asked, seemingly appearing from nowhere.

"Yeah," Lance hesitated. Should he ask? Well, if he is going to marry this man he may as well find out his reasoning. "Why did you bring me here? And where exactly are we?"

The Prince paused for a moment. "I figured that the most important person in my life must see the most important place in my life. And I'm surprised you couldn't tell but, this is the Shanakrian Orphanage."

"What?"

The Prince sighed "This was the first place I built in Shanakra after finding this little cutie on a street side. I personally ran the Orphanage myself until I was forced to come back home to find out Lotor had gone missing, that's when Elzaka stepped in and offered to run the place."

"That's, unfortunate." Lance was at a loss for words. This man seemed to make him forget what to say a lot. "Have you never thought of adopting one of the children yourself?"

"Me? With a child?" The Prince almost laughed. "I couldn't trust myself."

Why not? He seemed to be good with children from the way Theomornia was so excited to see him! And he personally ran the Orphanage! He had trusted himself with multiple kids, how could he not trust himself with one?

"Anyway, there are other things I must show you, if you will allow me?" Lance turned fully to the Prince to see his hand stretched outward to him. Not thinking, Lance took the Prince's hand and was dragged along once more.

He could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's.... Been awhile.  
> It's 5am as I'm writing this right now so please understand if I'm not that coherent.
> 
> I don't have an excuse. I don't have a reason. I just didn't... Feel like writing. It didn't seem like fun.
> 
> Also I know it's been over a week but Season 6? Breathtaking. Visually stunning, heart-wrenching, and just over all a beautiful season.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna get some Shada in here but I'm afraid to change the tags again

Lance had beed dragged around what felt like the entire village of Shanakra. His feet felt swollen and his muscles felt fatigued, but as he looked over the beautiful streets just bursting with life, he couldn't find it in himself to care that much about his pain.

They had agreed to stop at an old tavern to grab some food. Just the thought of a meal had caused Lance to finally take notice of the starvation he felt in his stomach which only caused his mouth to water a little. As they walked in the tavern they managed to turn heads. This caused Lance to feel a minor boost in his ego until he realized that they were most likely all staring at the Prince, seeing how he is their lord and all.

They sat for a while and just... Talked. It was kind of nice seeing as neither of them had any royal duties to attend to. No speeches to give, no meetings to attend, it was just nice. Lance learned a lot of the Prince's mannerisms like sometimes how his eyes will gently shut when he's listening to someone, or how his fingers would randomly start tapping on any surface they could find. Lance will admit, the Prince was kinda cute when he did that.

The Prince wasn't actually talking that much, opting instead to listen to Lance as he rattled on and on about his home life, his experiences, almost anything he could think of really to make him sound more interesting. The Prince had such a deep past and he had done so much, Lance felt minorly inadequate.

Part way through one of Lance's stories, he noticed someone staring at him. The stranger was dressed in large black robes and was sat with two others dressed just like them. The other two were converse quietly among themselves, but the first kept their eyes glued to Lance.

"Are you alright?" The Prince asked, regaining Lance's attention. He noticed the small hint of concern in his eyes. He began to fidget slightly. Should he tell the Prince? Perhaps these were the 'travellers' Krolia had mentioned last night? Now he could see why she was so concerned about them.

"I think we should-"

"Pardon me," The stranger in the cloak had suddenly appeared at their table side. Uh oh, mission abort. MISSION FUCKING ABORT. The figure spoke in a cool, rich, masculine tone. "But I think it has been far too long since I've seen you."

The stranger lowered down their hood- Lotor? Wait, has he been here this whole time? He was part of the 'travellers' Krolia talked about?

Almost in an instant, a punch had been swung directly at Lotor's jaw, okay yup, that definitely turned a few head. If a few meant the entire fucking tavern. The Prince stood abruptly to come face to face with Lotor, or well, shoulder to face (Holy shit he _is_ fucking short). Lotor looked down at the smaller figure, rubbing his own jaw I discomfort.

"It's a pleasure to see you again too, brother."

The Prince bared his almost-fangs. "That was for leaving me to deal with the role of Emperor," he gritted out through his teeth. "And for dealing with Zarkon all these years."

"Yeah, fair enough." Lotor sighed. Suddenly, his eyes caught Lance once more- he smirked. Lance shifted in his seat. "So this if your fiancé, hm?"

Lance noticed the Prince's eyes widen as he abruptly sat down in his chair and grabbed ahold of Lance's hand on the table.  _Fucking claws, ow, ow, ow._

Lotor only seemed to chuckle. "I see," he said, ominously. What does he see? What? "Anyways, may I request that my group and I join you for a short while? It seems that we both have time to spare."

Lotor motioned for his group to make their way over and he started pulling up chairs. Lance was surprised that the Prince's teeth hadn't shattered with how much he was clenching them together. Lance rested his hand atop the one holding his own and moved his thumb in soothing circles, attempting to calm down the agitated Prince. It seemed to work as the Prince had started to take a few deep breaths.

"L-Lance?" A familiar voice called out. He turned to find the owner of the voice to be met with another stranger in a long dark cloak. The shadowy figure lifted down their hood to reveal dark skin and a head of beautiful silver hair. As soon as Lance was able to completely recognize her, he leaped up from his seat and wrapped her in the tightest hug he had ever given.

"Allura! I missed you so much! Oh my- Why the hell are you hanging around Lotor?"

"Hey!"

Allura looked off to the side as if she were ashamed: Lance couldn't blame her. "I'll talk about that later but you! You're engaged!" She smiled widely. Lance returned the smile, but awkwardly.

"Yeah... 'bout that."

* * *

 

"I see," Allura finalized. Lance had explained the entire situation he found himself in to Allura. From the moment he found himself engaged to now (save for the ball). Throughout the entire thing it seemed like the Prince was biting his tongue, like he had something to say but restrained himself. "So your engagement is a result of our selfish acts."

"What?" Lance asked. That's what she got from that?

"If it were not for me and Lotor running away from our kingdoms, you two would not have been engaged," Allura pointed out. At the point, the Prince wasn't the only one holding their tongue. No one could disagree, it was entirely true.

A science fell over them all. The other guy, Rolo, had just kinda sat throughout the entire thing staying quiet to be honest. Lance felt kinda bad for him. But just then a question rose in Lance's mind. One he had wanted to ask for so long.

"Why did you run away? I know it wasn't just the engagement," Lance stated, looking straight into Allura's eyes. Allura would never run away from something if it would benefit her kingdom, or at least, that's what Lance thought.

Allura smiled, to herself mostly. "Lotor promised freedom."

"Freedom?"

"Freedom!" Allura repeated enthusiastically. "C'mon Lance, don't tell me you don't feel trapped as a prince? All the boring meetings, and guards, and meetings, and speeches, and all those gosh darn meetings!"

Lance pondered over what she said for a moment. Being a prince is kind of... constrictive. But it's not terrible! It's never made him feel so bad that he wanted to run out on his family!

"It doesn't matter how boring you find it. You ran out on your people," The Prince finally spoke up. Lance finally realized why he had been so quiet all this time. He was angry at Allura. The Prince's people are everything to him, he can't stand how someone could just abandon their own.

Allura scoffed. "My people? I was just a glorified supermodel to them. They didn't know anything about the politics I dealt with, the negotiations I made. Why should I care about people who don't truly care about me?"

The Prince stayed silent again, most likely genuinely biting his tongue. The atmosphere was tense and no one dared to speak a word. Well, except for Rolo.

"Welp, I think we've just about overstayed our welcome, what do you say babe?" He asked Lotor, who only nodded along and whispered something to Rolo. As they left the table they grabbed Allura by the back of the hood and started to drag her out. "Have fun on your date!"

The two Princes sat in silence for awhile. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife, it was most likely that the entire tavern could feel it. Suddenly, the Prince let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. It was your sister's choice to leave and I shouldn't have interjected," The Prince... Apologized. Wow, okay.

"Yeah, you shouldn't of," Lance acknowledges, causing the Prince to shrink back slightly. "But I get where you were coming from."

The Prince looked up at Lance with mildly wide eyes that seemed to turn fond. He then pulled a bunch of money out of one of his jacket pockets and left it on the table, it seemed too much for their meals and a tip, but then again he was a prince, he was rich. 

"We should get going. The kingdom may have fell apart without our presence," he smiled, grabbing Lance's hand and leading him out the tavern.

 _Our presence_. Gods, he said it like he and Lance were already married and ruling over the kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just watched a leak of the first episode of season 7 and HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS PREPARE YO BUTTS.
> 
> Shada (the ship) owns my ass rn but like,,,, Klance is cannon king


End file.
